Tokyo, old calendar date—Nagatsuki 24th, afternoon.
With a single cannon shot fired from the Washuu family ancestral estate in Ward 1—
Within the city, the lingering warmth, reunion, and poetic atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival still present on the streets before noon vanished completely. Replacing it were blaring alarms, roaring military vehicles, and the entry of the "Heavenly Soldiers" into the city.
Bzzz… bzzz…
On the courtyard lawn, where collapsed walls and broken trees lay scattered, engines roared. Power hubs churned, treads rolling forward, flinging clumps of grass and soil to the sides. They crushed over blue bricks, sending pebbles scattering like brittle candy.
Guided by soldiers signaling from either side, the tracked M2 "Bradley" Infantry Fighting Vehicle screeched to a halt. Its turret rotated, the 25mm chain gun aiming at the wall breach already being fired upon by allied troops. Bang-bang-bang—!
In an instant, dust clouds rose. Shards of debris burst off the wall like tiny smoke bombs laced with sparks.
Inside the smoke-filled room, gray with CRc gas, the 25mm armor-piercing incendiary rounds exploded. Blood mist blossomed, fragments of flesh splattering against the shattered wall opening. Multiple muffled groans and screams followed. Two soldiers darted forward like cats, tossing in offensive grenades. After two sharp explosions, their comrades leaned out in unison—some with Ukaku, some with Quinques—firing at every possible target inside.
Thud!
Close by, an anti-ghoul agent swung a hammer-shaped Koukaku Quinque, smashing through the wall.
Moments later, another commotion erupted. CCG investigators stormed inside, dragging out four ghouls dressed as attendants. Their Kagune shattered, bodies bloodied, riddled with bullets across faces and torsos.
"Clear!"
Once the CCG investigators and North American anti-ghoul operatives confirmed that the targets were eliminated and no hidden passages were found, the leading sergeant of the "Λ" unit clenched his fist in signal, leading his squad of sweep infantry onward to another residence.
The infantry fighting vehicle rolled forward again.
Around them, gunfire and explosions echoed—sometimes scattered, sometimes dense.
Behind them loomed a towering structure, blending Western and Japanese styles, with an inverted-eave roof. Its exterior was already riddled with holes, windows shattered, bricks and tiles crumbled, rubble strewn across the ground, exposing the uneven rebar and concrete frame within.
This was the Washuu family ancestral home—now reduced to ruins.
The surviving Washuu clansmen and V organization half-humans had nearly collapsed. Their sporadic resistance was quickly crushed.
Casualties were inevitable, yet the US soldiers remained spirited.
Even as their weapons spat fire, they cursed endlessly—"Fuck," "Shit," "Bastards"—as they conducted the sweep.
After all, an intervention under the righteous excuse of exterminating man-eating ghouls was far too impeccable!
The congressmen of Capitol Hill and the generals of the Pentagon held great expectations for this battle, naming the operation—Operation Gothic Serpent β.
Off the record, rumors said the strict standards for combat death compensation would be relaxed this time, generously funded by the world's third-largest economy.
Doo-woo~ doo-woo~
As police frantically honked and whistled to direct traffic and evacuate citizens, the joint enforcement operation surged forward—CCG, US military, North American Commission of Counter Ghoul, CIA, Tokyo Prosecutor's Office, Tokyo Metropolitan Police, Self-Defense Forces, and more, all conducting simultaneous raids across Tokyo.
Meanwhile, outside the Washuu estate—
"M77 howitzers, infantry fighting vehicles, even tanks are entering the city. They didn't just deploy Marines from Okinawa—they even pulled the 101st Airborne Division, one of the US Army's three rapid reaction divisions, from the mainland. Just how little do they trust us, Russell…"
With stains and grass marks still clinging to his clothes from rolling on the lawn, Marude Itsuki set down his cold compress, took a sip of water, and sighed deeply. Suddenly overwhelmed, he rubbed his forehead in frustration. Only after his pale, stiff expression steadied again did he glance at the orderly, armed US soldiers moving around him.
Marines were easy to recognize.
Among the US forces stationed in Japan, the largest contingent was the Marine Corps' 3rd Marine Division. Next came the Air Force and Navy, while the Army actually had the fewest numbers—barely over two thousand troops stationed in Japan.
In the Pacific theater, the focus had always been air and naval power.
But the soldiers before him, wearing camouflage distinct from the Marines and sporting the screaming eagle insignia on their shoulders, were unmistakably from the famed 101st Airborne Division of the US Army.
Secretly redeploying them from the North American mainland…
The political message this sent to the outside world was more than intriguing.
Considering the establishment of the Tokyo Commission of Counter Ghoul, the Washuu clan—who had led Japanese investigators for over a century—being revealed as ghouls was a pitiful reality. Truly, Marude Itsuki no longer had the strength to think about anything else.
Before tearing his face completely with his superiors of many years, he had still harbored a sliver of hope.
Unfortunately, faced with Vela's relentless pressure—ostensibly stripping power, but in truth wiping out the family—the Washuu clan had ultimately revealed their hidden true nature.
From this moment on, Tokyo's CCG had become the greatest joke of all.
The heads of ghoul investigators—were ghouls themselves?
Laughable!
Utter disgrace!
Viewed in this light, no emergency response from the international community would seem too surprising.
Marude gave a bitter laugh at himself. Carefully choosing his words, he asked: "Russell, just how firm is the North American Commission's resolve?"
His question was tactfully phrased.
Vela smiled.
"The resolve is complete eradication of ghouls."
Weighing the massive serrated greatsword in her hand—an SSS-class Kakuja Quinque, [Owl]—Vela disengaged [Arata-Ayato-α]. With a casual flourish of the giant blade, she drove it heavily into the ground at her feet. Looking at Marude, she said: "Marude, remember our identity. Ghoul investigators deal only with ghoul cases, not with anything else. Any collateral results are outside our jurisdiction."
With that, she stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him.
"Just focus on doing what we at the CCG must do."
She stowed her SS+ Chimera Quinque [Black Abyss] back into a spare case, then stood with hands behind her back, gazing at the Washuu main residence ahead. Its outer walls cracked and scorched, still burning—the marks left by Kaiko, leader of the V organization, after their bombardment.
It was meant to serve as a warning strike.
Attack helicopters and military vehicles? Not enough.
A month of high-intensity sweeps had dulled certain people's senses.
Only tanks and cannons rolling right onto their doorstep would make them understand that this time—it was both symptom and root, scraping poison from the bone!
Just like her return to Tokyo this time—not only to hunt ghouls and advance Quinque development, but to exterminate the Washuu clan—Vela had brought along a large contingent of North American anti-ghoul agents, taking up posts with funding in hand.
First, she secured a personal force she could command as an extension of herself, sparing time otherwise spent on building familiarity and expanding her base. Then, through social maneuvering, she pulled allied factions closer, leading by example and influence—eventually mobilizing the full power of the CCG for her use.
Both force and reason.
In this way, Vela had been able to, on the very next day of her reinstatement, mobilize the CCG for sweeping operations across the city. Using discovered failures to point blame at the Washuu, she exposed the scandal of ghouls infiltrating the Commission itself, and by accusing them of incompetence, forced them down from power.
Deploying the 101st Airborne, even slinging in M777 howitzers to shell the Washuu estate, was the same strategy.
Preemptive action. Increasing her leverage.
Even if only a brigade came, it was enough to excite the Marines in Okinawa who rarely saw battle. They eagerly rushed to Honshu to follow orders, while the Self-Defense Forces swallowed their misgivings, and Japan's politicians and businessmen clearly saw the consequences of continuing to secretly consort with ghoul "friends"…
Run into the muzzle again, and money alone would not buy them out of disaster.
"Commissioner, latest battle reports."
Dennis approached, PDA in hand, the device marked with a white-headed eagle insignia. Skimming the data, he reported while walking.
Vela took the PDA, swiping to open combat footage and tactical briefings from the sweep and inspection units.
[Ward 11: Encountered Aogiri Tree senior cadre, SS+ ghoul "Noro." Coordinating with the Self-Defense Forces—extermination battle underway!]
[Tokyo Prosecutor's Office: Official arrest and confiscation carried out against Diet member Yasuhiro Tanimoto for collusion with ghouls, bribery, concealing income, and violating the Political Funds Control Act…]
[Ward 14: Spotted member of the Clowns organization, SS-rated female ghoul "The Informant," currently being pursued!]
[Ward 4: Sighted former Ward 4 ghoul gang leader, SS-rated "Faceless Clown." US Army aviation forces have intervened!]
[Ward 8: CCG investigation unit ambushed—22nd Investigators Squad Captain Mutsumi Chino severely injured, multiple investigator teams annihilated. Culprit is Aogiri Tree, led by SS+ Kakuja Tatara! He appears to be searching for Special Class Kousuke Houji! Requesting support!]
[Report! Ward 24 underground ghoul tribes in upheaval—requesting support!]
...
A death struggle.
"Houji. They're looking for you."
Vela spoke.
Houji Kousuke gave a steady nod. "Leave Tatara to me."
Shinohara Yukinori, Kuroiwa Iwao, and others also requested leave—they needed to return to their respective jurisdictions. Since these vicious ghouls wanted to fight to the death, they would tighten the "net" to strangle them completely!
Vela exchanged nods of acknowledgment with each.
If she killed them all herself, forget it—it was no good to hog the credit. Achievements had to be shared appropriately.
But the One-Eyed Owl…
Vela's face grew thoughtful.
And Ward 20—was it truly stable now?
Her hand tapped the car's hood twice. "What about Rick's side?"
She turned her head to ask.
"Surveillance," Dennis replied after a pause, lowering his voice. "The Tsukiyama family is showing signs of movement. Just earlier—likely around the time you and the other CCG Special Classes entered the Washuu estate."
"Keep watch on Mirumo Tsukiyama and Shuu Tsukiyama…"
Vela tilted her neck to stretch. "Forget it. I'll go personally."
Gripping the hilt of [Owl], she was about to test its SSS-class Kakuja Quinque sharpness against the Tsukiyama family—
Suddenly, beep-beep—!
Her PDA vibrated.
Vela lowered her gaze.
Her indigo eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh?"
[Ward 23 Report: Ghoul detention center Cochlea under heavy assault by elite Aogiri Tree forces. SSS-class ghoul, the One-Eyed Owl, has appeared. Special Class Shinme Haisaki has been killed in action! Special Class Arima Kishou is pinned down—they… they are deliberately sabotaging the prison cells holding ghouls!]